What does it take to design a breath-taking magazine? We all know a magazine generally consists of certain "standards" that will be seen in each issue. For instance, chances are you will have some type of table of contents, main articles, advertisements and editorials.

Throughout the years I've had the opportunity to learn some great guidelines (some by example and some by trial and error) to creating a magazine spread that really "pops."

The Poster.

Part advertisement. Part display piece. All information. The poster when created correctly can accomplish all these tasks in a single stroke. Sometimes the most overlooked piece in a marketer's arsenal, posters are often assumed to be present but denied the forefront of attention. Why? Maybe because they ARE common. But if you’re a designer working with a client you want to push the limits of your poster design while STILL providing the basics that are required. As the designer it’s not always up to you to decide which information should be included but it IS up to you to determine HOW it can be included to best represent your client and provide as the Heath brother’s (Author’s of "Made To Stick") would phrase it, "Stick-Ability" in the mind. (You want the customer to remember it!). Let's examine some of the basics that will need to be included SOMEWHERE on your poster for it to be informationally effective.

Today's bookmark as seen to the left cannot be downloaded easily as it's actually a double-sided promotional piece that I created for a client. Regardless of whether or not your client is an author, they may still be able to reach an interesting crowd with a bookmark that doubles as a promotional item. In terms of size it offers roughly double that of a traditional business card, giving you  more room to explain your services and options. If you go double-sided, you have actually created 4 times the space! But how do you design a promotional bookmark effectively for your client? The answer is easier than you think! Much like traditional business card design, don't limit yourself to the boundaries! Think outside the box and create something that will be remembered but don't forget to include all the necessary contact information!

Continuing our series of "What Is It's Purpose?" this post will deal with the Purpose of Letterhead and Letterhead Design. As we've mentioned before let me recap by saying, every design we create serves a purpose. Is it up to us to determine that purpose? Or does each piece innately have a purpose? I think there is truth in both. Our job is to amplify the innate purpose for each piece. Confused? Don’t stay that way, let’s examine one of the pieces we create on an everyday basis and the function they should serve.

Letterhead.

In today's digital society does letterhead even still have a place in the industry? I believe so. A traditional formal letter still has it's importance and uses. Businesses use letterhead for Thank Yous and other otherwise "form" letters that they must send out. It's also useful for subtly reminding your customers or constituents that you still exist and what services you offer. Wait? Can it really do this? Yes. Let's jump ahead and look at some of the things you might want to include on your letterhead: Remember, you can’t possible include EVERYTHING. So you’ll have to pick and choose:

Smashing Magazine issued a challenge to designers for the new year, and I’m on board! I tried to decide what type of design I’d want to do and could stretch my boundaries as a designer. So in answer to this Challenge, I will be designing and posting a new Bookmark design each day on this blog. The Designs will link to a downloadable file that you can feel free to download, print out and share as desired.

If you've enjoyed our posts related to marketing yourself via Social Media then be sure to head on over to the Kindle store and pick up your copy of "Market Yourself: A Beginner's Guide to Social Media" No kindle? No problem. Market Yourself is also available as an PDF eBook or in paperback format on MarketYourselfTheBook.com.

Most designers couldn't exist without stock photos. So where's the best place to find them? If you're looking for pay as you go images or subscription services. Look no farther. I've assembled the best of the best in this post.

1. iStockPhoto
2. StockExpert
3. Photos.com
4. Getty Images
5. Veer.com
6. Comstock
7. Jupiter Images
8. Punchstock
9. Shutterstock
10. Snap Village
11. Foto Search
12. Big Stock Photo
13. Corbis
14. Dreamstime
15. Fotolia
16. Photo Spin

If you're not familiar with Scot Kelby Training or the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, then you don't you know what you're missing. Today I attended a their CS4 "Down and Dirty Tricks" conference in Oklahoma City, OK. Among the things we learned today were special effects and palettes only found in Adobe Photoshop CS4, but mostly we learned TRICKS that no Photoshop professionals should be without. From hidden or overlooked palette functions even down to time savers and quick tips.

For me, saving time is a MUST! So anything that makes me go faster, is a step in the right direction!

Over the next few days I'll take opportunities to share some tips with you. One of the time savers we learned today was how to make quick and sleek product ads. That idea led to tonight's bookmark!  I would also like to share one of the millions of tips I learned today.

This one may be  something that may be obvious and you may already know, but I actually didn't, so I was happy to have it pointed out to me.

1. Unlocking layers. To unlock a layer in Photoshop, it is no longer necessary  to double click the locked layer. Now, you can simply "drag" the lock icon to the trash. Simple, huh? Yet, totally overlooked!

The moment you've all been waiting for has finally arrived! First of all I'd like to thank you all for participating this year and making the competition such a great success. We got a lot of coverage online this year as the competition is growing in popularity. Enough about all that— let's get to what you REALLY want: this year's winners. 1st Place Goes to Ramond Walker for his designs for Launch Ministries! 2nd Place Goes to Sherman Merchant for his designs for Oops! Creative: 3rd Place Goes to Ramond Walker for designs for Revolution: Awards of Distinction Winners Listed Below: Austin Beymer Joy Franzen David Willis Chelsea Davey Shawn Bender

kern-what?
Text kerning refers the space between the letters. Now, this is not to be confused with tracking, which is the space between the words. Or leading: the space between lines (known as line-height in Web circles). Good typography utilizes both. The more white space in your layout the more reader-friendly your text will be.

By adding kerning to display text you can create a lighter, modern feel to your design. Similarly, by tightening the kerning you can create a denser feel to the layout, making it heavy and bulky on the page.

Adjusting the tracking can alleviate bad breaks in the copy caused by justified text. Slightly adjusting the tracking in a line is not noticeable, however for a light and airy effect try adding a little extra trackingto a paragraph for an easy-reading experience.

Last but not least, leading (pronounced ledding) is the space between the lines. As with everything else, the more space you have between lines the easier it is for the reader to separate the lines of text as they read. A good rule of thumb is to have at least a 4 pt increase in size (i.e. 12 pt font, 16 pt leading). Obviously, this guideline is based on a perfect world. Often you have to adjust your text to fit within the space determined by the size of the piece you’re working on. Just remember, using a little more space and making the piece readable will benefit everyone in the long run.

These terms, ideas and suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg that is Typography. Pay close attention to the text around you and you too will start to notice typography in action!